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Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

12 Colleges
$31,564 Avg Salary
$23,720 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree School for You

Journalism is the #88 most popular major in Illinois with 332 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for journalism majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the best school in Illinois for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.

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#2

North Central College

Naperville, IL

Out of the 12 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, North Central College landed the # 2 spot on the list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Naperville.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

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#4

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $21,932 in student debt.

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#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

Augustana College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Rock Island.

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With a ranking of #7, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from Columbia carry an average student debtload of $25,984. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $424, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $25,613.

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Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at NIU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,604.

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#10

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, journalism graduates from DePaul take out $21,169 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $448.

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Best Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Journalism Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 245
Ohio 426
Indiana 274
Wisconsin 325

One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 66,787
Public Relations & Advertising 21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
Communication & Journalism (Other) 1,128
Publishing 336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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